Current developments in conductive nano-inks for flexible and wearable electronics
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Abstract
Nanoparticles are progressively being incorporated into the printing industry, research is
underway to enhance their use to boost innovation and competitiveness. Precursors or metallic
nanoparticles replace ink pigments in printed electronics, imparting electrical conductivity to
the resulting printed patterns. Many types of conductive inks have diverse characteristics that
are best suited to specific applications and have different preparation techniques. Conductive
inks are a pertinent element of the broader functional printing area, which is currently
expanding and is seen as one of the most pertinent future technologies in the printing industry.
In this review, the aspects of selecting, functionalising, and making nanomaterials based
conductive inks for printable, flexible and wearable electronics. Various methods and
mechanisms for developing conductive inks based on nanomaterials such as Ag nanoparticles,
Cu@Ag core-shell nanoparticles, graphene conductive ink, biocompatible CNT ink,
conductive indium tin oxide (ITO), proposed by various research groups are summarized. We
have also attempted to provide insights in to enhance printing ink parameters such as
uniformity, flexibility, resolution, and durability which are considered to be very important
aspects for any printable inks. Finally, the applications of the conductive ink in thin film
transistor (TFT), dye sensitised solar cells (DSSC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
tags, and sensors are summarised.
How to Cite
Article Details
Conductive nano-ink, Printed Electronics, Nano-materials, Inkjet printing, Carbon nanotubes, Graphene, Silver, DSSC, Sensors, TFT
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